Re: To Jerry

[Guest guest]

I read recently in a book - Maybe it was a Winston Churchill book

- a quote that mentioned something about money being only

currency but other than that, having no value. At first, that puzzled

me, but being the non-capitalist that I am (no offense to your

republican sensibilities but I feel I can be honest with you after

your soul baring endorsment of socialized medicine ), I came

to realize that as currency, the value that it has is only what we as

individuals and society place in it.....that in and of itself, the paper

(whether on a gold standard or not) really has no value. A

professor of mind would refer to this as mass psychosis. It is a

concept that alot of people do not quite grasp until the situation

hits when there is no food to buy or clothes to be worn, not

because they lack money, but because food or clothes just do

not exist for any amount of money (think stranded on a raft or in a

desert, etc). At this time, the old cliches of " you can't eat it or

wear it " become real and not so trite. So when the currency

aspect of money is no longer available, then it is pretty useless.

Another interpretation that I gleaned from that statement is that

unless you spend it (use it as currency) it also has no value. It

is only the solid tangible benefits that it can bring to us in

physical form that has value.

Anyways, I guess this is my way of saying that I too believe that

socialized medicine is most likely the most humane and modern

way to sustain our so-called enlightened lifestyle. I think that the

first step is to get rid of the insurance companies....not so much

for the reasons that they are heartless, etc (which they are) but

that profit should not be made at such a close association to

human misery, that there is no need to hire a huge number of

people to funnel money from one group of people (the

employers) to another group of people (health care providers)

and that it is wrong, wrong, wrong that our employers should be

responsible for determining what kind, if any, health care plans

we have access to. I believe that this is a huge intrusion of our

privacy...that there is nothing more personal and none of the

business of our employers as our health. I will agree that at one

time, this was the only way to ensure that everyone had access

to care (back when unions were strong and workers had a voice

and power) but I think that we have evolved away from employer

provided health care (although worker's still deserve a voice in

the workplace - and yes, I am a union supporter when the union

is not corrupt and too powerful). At the very least, if we keep the

insurance company structure in our society, they should all be

made as non-profit organizations. This could satisfy those that

are leary of having government directly run our health care (and

there are probably reasons for this wariness) as well as those

like me, that think it is morally wrong to profit from the

inevitableness of an individual's need for health care. I imagine

that it could be structured somewhat as churches and private

non-profit colleges and hospitals are.

It is sad to read stories like Jean's....but all too common. My

dream has been to win the ultimate lottery and to set up trusts

and safety nets for anyone who finds themselves in situations

like this. What good is having money when there is so much

suffering in the world? It sure isn't going to guarantee your

personal health or long life...........

Laurie

(can you tell it has been a very boring day at work today?)